A Kuwaiti farmer claims to have successfully grown the first white strawberries in the region. The fruit – properly called pineberry - is white and covered in red pips. It has the same genetic make-up as the common strawberry but with a flavour and smell closer to the pineapple, according to a description by supermarket chain Waitrose, which began selling white strawberries in its UK stores in 2010.

The pineberry originated in South America, where it grew wild. But it was close to extinction until Dutch farmers began growing it commercially earlier this century, according to Waitrose.

The berries need to be grown in glasshouses and Kuwaiti farmer Yousef Al Kraibani said he made air-conditioned greenhouses for his crop to survive the Gulf state’s hot climate. The berries go from green to white and are ripe when the seeds turn dark red.